Analysts tout entertainment renovations
They say that creating a new district for recreation downtown will aid the city's effort to revitalize the area.
By KEVIN GRAHAM
Published February 8, 2005
TAMPA - Development analysts say a new entertainment district north of downtown Tampa's Franklin Street would help energize the area's rebirth.
Nearly 300 people listened to the Tampa Downtown Partnership's vision for a vibrant downtown area, complete with residential and retail space, and after-5 p.m. traffic.
Monday night's forum at the historic Tampa Theatre served as a followup to a community discussion held in October.
An entertainment district, with its main drag possibly along N Franklin Street, would complement the two entertainment districts established at Channelside and in Ybor City.
While Ybor offers bars and nightlife and Channelside offers large-seating dining, the area north of Franklin Street would offer cafes and specialty shops, said Don Hunter, a real estate economics and financial analyst working as a consultant to the Downtown Partnership vision plan.
Boarded-up buildings in Tampa's downtown are an eyesore, Hunter said.
"They're symbols of a failed downtown revitalization," he said.
He outlined a plan that would cost about $20-million to renovate the Floridian Hotel and add retail space and apartments that would rent for $800 to $1,300 a month.
"This is a framework," said Raymond Sandelli, chairman of the Downtown Partnership, adding that the study's findings aren't set in stone. "It's a process that really doesn't have an end."
But it does have a beginning, Hunter said.
In his presentation, Hunter said the process should begin by placing a development corporation with two staffers in an office along Franklin Street.
Supply them with a $5-million grant for program expenses and give them the task of leasing five key properties during the first year and five more in the second year.
Add to that leadership oversight and the city government's cooperation, he said, and Mayor Pam Iorio's 10-year action plan to bring residential development, a cultural district and a new river walk to downtown Tampa will happen.
--Kevin Graham can be reached at 813 226-3433 or kgraham@sptimes.com